Exclusive | Dolby aims to enable local content: Pankaj Kedia

Dolby recently announced Dolby Atmos, a new audio platform that will change the experience of sound in entertainment. Launching in cinema, Dolby Atmos delivers a more natural and realistic sound-field, which transports people into the story with a lifelike, sensory experience. 

 

Adgully caught up with Pankaj Kedia, Country Manager, Dolby India as he provides interesting insights into Dolby’s new technologies that aim to revolutionize the cinema viewing experience for users.

 

Talking about Dolby’s presence in the Indian market, Pankaj said, “Dolby has been in the business of audio technology for the last 46 years. In India, we have been around since mid 1990’s, primarily in the field of cinema sound. Dolby has done cinema installations and licensing of films to be played in the Dolby format. Thus, our origin in India has been very cinema-centric. Globally, we have been present in DVD, broadcast and a wide range of other markets. Three years ago in 2009, we set up a direct Dolby subsidiary in India; since then our focus has always been on finding the right partners in cinema and beyond. Therefore, our key areas of focus are developing innovations and partnerships in cinema, broadcast and in the electronic media industry which includes mobile, hand-held devices, PC etc.

 

Elaborating on Dolby’s journey he says, “The highest familiarity of the Dolby brand in the world is in India. This has been mainly possible because of the cinema connect that we have formed. Dolby services have created a sense of excitement in movie producers and exhilarated consumers. The brand familiarity has been one to reckon with and it has increased tremendously after the 1990’s.”

 

Pankaj exclaims that although Dolby is a behind the scene player in the sense that it does not offer an actual product; but it is an integral part of the product offerings. Shedding more light on this, he said, “Dolby has been a part of various devices like set top boxes, television sets, home theatre systems, mobiles etc. We do not manufacture a product and sell it to the consumer directly but we provide a certain value to the product; enriching the user experience. Dolby has a very high consumer connect and the expectations associated with the brand are equally greater. We at Dolby work very hard to ensure that we deliver on these expectations.”

 

Dolby has currently tied up with broadcasters like Star TV, Network 18 and Sun TV, Discovery to provide their unique services. The emphasis is on broadcasters providing HD services. It has also entered into partnerships with DTH operators like Tata Sky, Airtel, Sun Direct and will very soon venture into an alliance with Reliance too.

 

Talking about the major developments at Dolby, Pankaj said, “The launch of Dolby Atmos and the premiere of the first film in Dolby Atmos titled “ Brave” are the two most significant developments. Dolby Atmos is a revolutionary project from a cinema sound perspective. It is not an addition or improvement to existing technologies but farther ahead from that. Dolby Atmos will change the entire chain of sound from content creation to distribution. A major revolution will occur in these fields with the arrival of Dolby Atmos.”

 

Providing useful insights into the technology, he said, “ In recent times, cinema sound has basically been of two major configurations namely;  5.1 surround sound and the 7.1 surround sound. Sound is based on a number of channels. In 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound;  sound comes from all around you and there is sound immersion. Sound surrounds you. In real life, that is not the way sound is. Sound is very directional and specific. It arises from an object. In Dolby Atmos, we make sound absolutely real life. We switch from channel based sound to dynamic object based sound.”

 

The four key features of Dolby Atmos are true immersive sound, adaptability, compatibility and end to end solution.

 

Speaking about these integral features, Pankaj said, “ Dolby Atmos is immersive in the sense that the sound will evolve from being object centric to channel centric. Theatres are of different sizes and the number of speakers in each theatre also vary. This is where the adaptability feature of Dolby Atmos comes into play. Dolby Atmos very intelligently understands the space and renders the theatre specific sound, which enables the users to enjoy the experience irrespective of the theatre size or number of speakers. This is a crucial element in terms of technology. Dolby Atmos is compatible as the same mix can be played in 5.1, 7.1 or in an Atmos enabled theatre. Atmos enabled theatres have only three major requirements; ceiling speakers, additional speakers and a new audio processor. Dolby Atmos provides new content creation tools and thereby is an end to end solution in itself.”

 

“Brave” which recently premiered at the Dolby theatre; or more popularly known as the theatre where Oscars are held is the first film in Dolby Atmos enabled technology. Dolby has acquired the naming rights of the theatre.

 

Commenting on this, Pankaj said, “We are upgrading the Dolby theatre with our new technology including Atmos. It is the most iconic landmark in Hollywood with the Oscars, and a lot of movie premieres and red carpet events being held there.”

 

Talking about India specific plans, he said, “In India, the theatres need to be upgraded , the mixing studios need to be upgraded and the movie will have to be decided. We are hoping to get these things right by November end or early next year. Although, this is the current plan that we have set up, it is susceptible to change.”

 

Globally, 20 theatres have been upgraded for playback in Atmos and most of them are situated  in U.S.A, Europe and China. Dolby is looking to upgrade many more theatres and present many more movies in the near future.”

 

Pankaj exclaims that the most pertinent challenge that the technology faced was to make sound important. “ Sound is what immerses you into a scene. Sound has a much deeper emotional connect than visuals. The challenge at the core level is to make people understand what difference sound can make to their entertainment experience. It can make entertainment more exciting, clear and immersive,” he added.

 

Dolby has tried to change ecosystems  which comprises of thousands of companies and people. It is bringing about significant changes in broadcast, DTH, home theatre etc. Dolby also plans to change the scene for imaging as it has done for sound.

 

On the mobile front, Dolby recently launched Nokia Pure view 808 phone which is equipped with Dolby Digital Plus surround sound technology providing full surround sound capability on the mobile phone. It also comes with a unique technology namely Dolby headphone. Dolby headphone provides personal surround sound experience on headphones.

 

On a parting note, Pankaj  stated that Indian content is local and therefore  Dolby aims to enable such local content  to be provided in surround sound format across all media platforms. | By Aditi Popat [aditi(at)adgully.com]